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February 6. Capre Diem

Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures that involve altering or injuring the female genitalia for non-medical reasons, and is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women.

Sami National Day

The Sami people, also spelled Sámi or Saami, are the indigenous people inhabiting the Arctic area of Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway.

On February 6, 1917 was held the first Sámi congress in Trondheim, Norway. This was the first time that Norwegian and SwedishSámi came together across their national borders to work together to find solutions for common problems, thus the Sami National Day.

Barman’s day

The Barman’s day is celebrated on February 6, on the Day of St. Amand and have become the professional holiday of barmen and restaurateurs in many countries all over the world.

The patron saint of wine makers and barmen is St. Amand, Bishop of Maastricht (584-679). He actively evangelized wine-making regions of France, Germany and the Flanders and thus became the official patron of wine makers, merchants, brewers, bar and restaurant keepers and, finally, bar workers (including barmen and dishwashers).

Day of Stairs and Ladders

This, I believe, is an entirely Russian thing. Other than drinking beverages of your choice (preferably alcoholic) under/upon/suspended from and hanging off various ladders, on rooftops, between stair flights, on stepladders etc. I found no other significance of this designation. Rob Gonsalves’ ladder laden painting, however, make the day of ladders worthy of mentioning.

National Wear Red Day – February 6, 2015

In 2003, the American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute took action against a disease that was claiming the lives of nearly 500,000 American women each year – a disease that women weren’t paying attention to. A disease they truly believed, and many still believe to this day, affects more men than women.

Stemming from that action, National Wear Red Day was born. It’s held on the first Friday in February every year to raise awareness about heart disease being the No. 1 killer of women.

Discovery of germanium

Clemens Alexander Winkler (December 26, 1838 – October 8, 1904) was a German chemist who isolated the pure element, germanium, on this February 6 day in the year 1886. He published his results, thus solidifying Dmitri Mendeleev‘s theory of periodicity.

Ban on dueling in France, February 6, 1626

At the turn of the 16th century, duels spread through Europe like wildfire, they happened on an unprecedented scale in France. Dueling was outlawed in France in 1626. The edict was issued on February 6. However and unfortunately, the ban had little blood-cooling effect on avid French duelists for many years to come. Estimates suggest that more than 10,000 duels resulting in more than 4,000 deaths took place in the last 30 years of King Louis XIV’s reign, which ended in 1715.

Economist Matthew Jackson says laws against dueling were ineffective because they went against deep-rooted social norms, which also discouraged others from intervening to stop the bloodletting.

Thus, capre diem: wear red (Sami national costume theme is suggested), abandon your dueling weapon, visit your favorite bar and, after having a sober moment thinking seriously what should be done about FGM, drink a toast for Winkler… under the ladder or looking down the stairwell.

Please note: there is no significance in the order of appearance of notable events mentioned in this post. In a word, I honestly don’t assign more importance to the discovery of germanium than to Russian drinking on the stairs and ladders.